The present invention relates to a hazardous waste disposal container and, more particularly, to a collapsible container for a disposable hazardous waste packaging system.
The disposal of hazardous waste materials is a pressing social problem. For many years, disposal of hazardous wastes was not closely regulated or supervised. As a result, many waste materials were disposed of improperly, with consequent damage to persons or the environment.
Today, the three most common methods of properly disposing of hazardous waste materials are: (1) to chemically treat the hazardous waste and render it harmless; (2) to store or bury the hazardous waste; or (3) to incinerate the hazardous waste. A suitable container is used in methods (2) and (3) above. The present invention is directed to an improved container for storing or incinerating hazardous waste materials.
Containers generally used today for the disposal of hazardous waste materials are metal, plastic, or fiber drums. Plastic sacks, known as "super sacks", are also used for storing small quantities of hazardous waste materials, e.g., up to one ton. Stainless steel reusable containers are also used in some instances. All of these known containers have some drawbacks. The "super sacks" do not stack well for transportation and storage and have significant strength limitations. Drums, in general, do not store efficiently because of their round shape, which leaves significant unused, valuable storage space. In the vernacular of the disposal industry, this is referred to as not "cubing". Additionally, metal and plastic drums are expensive. Stainless steel reusable containers are expensive and need a great deal of maintenance. Accordingly, a need exists for an inexpensive, safe, efficient, and effective container for the disposal of hazardous waste materials.
The present invention is a collapsible, fiberboard, pallet mounted container particularly adapted for disposing of hazardous waste materials. Although numerous fiberboard containers are well-known for a variety of applications, it is unusual to use fiberboard containers for hazardous waste materials because of the rigorous vibration, impact, compression, and dynamic requirements for hazardous waste containers before they are acceptable for disposing of hazardous waste materials. Known fiberboard containers which might be sufficiently strong to meet these rigorous requirements would not be readily collapsible for ease of storage and transportation, nor would they provide convenient, effective, and safe means for securing the container to a pallet.
For example, it is known that corrugated paper board containers or boxes can be attached to a pallet to create a packaging system which can be moved easily by a forklift truck. Such a packaging system allows for convenient storage in a warehouse in a stacked condition and efficient transport by truck. However, most of these known containers are not suitable for disposing of hazardous waste.
One such example of a known container and pallet packaging system is shown in Silcott, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,687. Silcott, however, would not be suitable for hazardous waste. Silcott is directed to a collapsible, pallet-mounted container. Central score lines extend completely across the end panels and the bottom width flaps, so as to divide the end panels and each bottom width flap into halves. The central score lines enable the container, when attached to the pallet, to be folded against the pallet for transportation or storage prior to use. A disadvantage to this container is that the central score lines weaken the sidewalls and thus permit the container to readily collapse when the container is assembled in its upright position. This, of course, increases the difficulty of filling the container and may allow the contents of the container to spill. When the container is used for storing hazardous waste materials, such spillage can be dangerous to persons and the environment. The present invention provides a stronger, easier and safer to use collapsible container. Also, in Silcott, one half of each width flap includes a single diagonal score line which extends from the central score lines to the adjacent side panel. These width flaps are not, however, fixed to the pallet to create a half bellows bottom, as in the present invention.
Another example of a container which is attached to a pallet is Zawadzki, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,100. The container in Zawadzki is particularly directed to a method of transportation and disposal of waste materials. The container disclosed by Zawadzki is a paper board container that is sprayed with a waterproof coating or can include a fluid impervious liner bag. The container is attached to a series of wood slats or support rails. The container is cubically-shaped thus allowing for a greater packing efficiency than cylindrical drums. When the containers are placed within a landfill, excess moisture, such as rain water, saturates the containers and causes them to slump down. Thus, the containers can be compacted to account for the settling of the waste material contained in the container. The specific configuration of the container is not disclosed by Zawadzki. Zawadzki also does not disclose a collapsible container. Additionally, there is no disclosure of how the container is fixed to the pallet.